Fashion designers now and then in pictures

What a difference a decade makes: take a look back at what the fashion world's biggest players used to look like...

CALVIN KLEIN
Fashion designer Calvin Klein in 1989, when his eponymous label was facing financial difficulties. Now aged 69, he was rumoured to be dating a form porn star who was only a third of his age.

ROBERTO CAVALLI
Over the years, Italian designer Roberto Cavalli has caught more and more sun rays.

DOLCE & GABBANA
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana might have parted ways romantically, but they are growing old gracefully together. Compare the design duo in 1998 and 2001.

DONATELLA VERSACE
Back in 1993, Donatella Versace was a 30-something helping at hand at her brother Gianni's glamorous fashion shows. Now she's 56, and her hair is glossier than ever as she steers the family business on to the Milanese catwalks and beyond.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
There was no one better than the designer herself to show off the glamorous wrap dresses she created in the Seventies. Now aged 65 and counting, DvF hasn't lost any of that je ne sais quoi.

JOHN GALLIANO
John Galliano has adopted many guises during his design career (which came to a halt last year following an anti-Semitic rant in a Paris Café). From astronaut to bleached blonde dreadlocks, the image on the left shows Galliano in 1988.

ALBER ELBAZ
Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz has got geek chic down to an art. The Moroccan-born designer's bespectacled look from 1998 has merely evolved into a more modern version for 2012.

DONNA KARAN
15 years: Karan then and now.

Read more »

Milan Fashion Week: Versace autumn/winter 2012

Femme-bot velvet and leather bustier dresses covered in jewelled crucifixes - Donatella Versace revisits Gianni's final couture collection 15 years on.

 

While 68-year-old Jil Sander has put artistic differences behind her and returned to her eponymous company in a surprise move, announced yesterday in Milan, Donatella Versace says she too has finally put her demons behind her.

That collection, shown in Paris, in the Ritz, managed to combine religion, sexual and cutting-edge techniques - three of his abiding interests. Chaste it wasn't.
"It's taken 15 years for me to feel I could revisit that collection," she explained. "I always carried it around in my head as a reference but I didn't feel I could go there, because it was too painful, and it was too private."
Talking in the sun-filled first floor rooms of the courtyard palazzo which serves as offices, showspace and to this day houses the perfectly preserved marbled and gilded apartment where Gianni Versace lived when he was in Milan, she seemed relaxed; her days of all night partying, profligacy and personal problems (divorce, drugs) behind her.

The company has reigned back, self-administered an infusion of fresh blood, in the form of Christopher Kane, one of the stars of British fashion who works with Versace on Versus, her second line. So in some ways the heavy Goth mood of her new main collection might seem counter-intuitive.
But this wasn't the melancholic, death-glamourising version of Goth beloved of teenagers so much as the vampy, body-hugging variety that tends to appeal to the likes of Angelina Jolie when she wants to make a major statement on the red carpet.

That meant femme-bot velvet and leather bustier dresses, dazzling silver metal mesh and chiffon corseted dresses that practically strobed under the spotlights, over the knee mesh leather fetish boots, black round necked, wool shift dresses with metal inserts in the shape of a cross and a lot of embroidered and jewelled crucifixes - which presumably, will come as optional extras in the Middle Eastern markets.

Read more »

Oscars 2012 fashion: red carpet trends

It's called the biggest night in fashion, though quite how many of us mere mortals will be studying the Oscars red carpet to see what we'll be wearing this spring is fairly questionable.

Left to right: Meryl Streep in Lanvin for the Green Carpet Challenge; Stacy Keibler in Marchesa; Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen. PHOTOS: Getty.
This is totally fine if you're a) planning on winning one later like Meryl Streep whose custom made Lanvin for the Green Carpet Challenge gown looked a triumph next to her Best Actress statuette; b) possibly winning one like Jessica Chastain who although sadly lost out on the the night, still looked a winner in this Alexander McQueen gown; or c) escorting a potential winner like Stacy Keibler whose stunning Marchesa gown was teamed with the ultimate accessory - George Clooney. No one else need apply.

Left to right: Bérénice Bejo in Elie Saab couture; Penelope Cruz in Giorgio Armani; Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab. PHOTOS: Getty
Trends schmends. Sometimes we just want to look at a gown and sigh at how wonderfully, magically, dreamy it is. Step forward princess Penelope Cruz who channelled Grace Kelly in a dusty blue, off-the-shoulder Giorgio Armani fancy; best actress nominee Bérénice Bejo in her mint parfait Elie Saab couture gown. Of course, this is what Mr Saab does best, so no surprise that model-turned-actress Milla Jovovich also floored the competition in one of his creations.

LADIES IN RED left to right: Livia Firth in Valentino for the Green Carpet Challenge; Natalie Portman in vintage Christian Dior; Jane Seymour
Michelle Williams (top) has to be our best dressed of the night in her strapless tulle Louis Vuitton gown. She headed up a red gown gang whose notables also included Livia Firth in a stunning fairytale Valentino Haute Couture gown which was custom made for her Green Carpet Challenge from recycled polyester from plastic bottles (not your average style statement); Dior ambassador Natalie Portman who neatly dodged being predictable by choosing a vintage dress from the Dior archives from 1954; and veteran British actress Jane Seymour who by some genetic miracle managed to pull off a strappy red sparkly gown at the age of 61.

Left to right: Giuliana Rancic in Tony Ward; Rooney Mara in Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci; Li Bing Bing. PHOTOS: Getty/AFP
In fact, the more romantic the better as this glamorous trio of bridal mermaids prove. And they weren't the only ones channelling the fairytale wedding vibe. The red carpet was positively fit to burst with all the floor-length white gowns on show from Cameron Diaz to Octavia Spencer. Of course, leave it to our favourite new fashion plate Rooney Mara to do it best. Her Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci gown was offset to perfection by her alabaster complexion and jet black hair.

NO-NOS left to right: Viola Davis in Vera Wang; Ann Sophie Bion; Missi Pyle.
Do not jostle and squeeze your assets into a dress that isn't equipped to deal with them properly, particularly if that dress is bright green. Never mistake a bin liner for an Oscars gown. One is for rubbish, one just looks it. And finally, try not to let your outfit look like a 1950's bedroom suite complete with frilly valance.

Left to right: Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford; Charlene, Princess of Monaco in Akris; Shailene Woodley in Valentino Haute Couture. PHOTOS: Getty
Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow whose sharply tailored white Tom Ford gown with cape detail was a total knockout without any need for elaborate frills, jewels, bells or whistles. Following suit were Charlene, Princess of Monaco who resisted temptation to over-embellish her elegant white Akris gown; and rising star Shailene Woodley who confessed that one of the major attractions of this beautiful Valentino couture gown was that she could still breathe in it.

Michelle WIlliams wearing Louis Vuitton.

Left to right: Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad; Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace; Glenn Close in Zac Posen. PHOTOS: Getty
Not every woman can pull off the whole 'I'm sexy and I know it' look without looking like they're trying too hard. Notable exceptions to this were Angelina 'OMG Amazing' Jolie who looked ready to ravish the photographers at any moment; Jennifer 'Shake Your Money Maker' Lopez whose motto is 'never knowingly underdressed'; and a surprise entry, Glenn Close whose whole demeanour screamed 'yes I may be old enough for my bus pass, but I've still got it damn you!'. Watch out Helen Mirren, there's a new sexy sexagenarian in town.

Read more »

Versace for H&M in pictures part 1

Versace for H&M in pictures
After months of anticipation, the Versace and high-street store H&M collaboration is finally unveiled.

 Black silk mini dress, £79.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Fans of Versace's bold and sexy designs won't be disappointed with the collection.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 The label's creative director, Donatella Versace, has revisited the archives of the iconic design house. Men's pink suit: blazer £79.99; shirt, £29.99; trousers, £34.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 This black, backless dress is similar to a design worn by singer Cheryl Cole on the red carpet earlier this year. It will retail at £79.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 This palm-tree print is the same as the one emblazoned across the chiffon navel-plunging gown which Jennifer Lopez made headlines in at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Leggings: £24.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

Cushions printed with the family-owned fashion house's famous iconography (from £29.99) complete the Versace for H&M lifestyle.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Top model Daphne Groeneveld stars in the advertising campaign...
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 ...alongside American teen catwalk star Lindsey Wixson... who wears Lamé dress, £149.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 .. and fellow top model Abbey Lee Kershaw, who wears lamé dress, £149.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Pink studded mini dress, £129.99; leather necklace, £29.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Mens belt, £39.99; top, £24.99; trousers, £34.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

A monochromatic outfit for men: Shirt, £29.99; jeans, £39.99; boots, £39.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

Read more »

Versace for H&M in pictures part 2

Versace for H&M in pictures

 Silk dress, £79.99; leggings, £24.99; ring, £19.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Sequinned T-shirt dress, £69.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Black body-conscious dress, £79.99; necklace, £29.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Silk mini dress, £129.99; printed handbag, £99.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Silk top, £39.99; silk skirt, £69.99; leather biker jacket, £149.99.
Available in stores from 17th Novemeber 2011.

 Men's pink suit: blazer £79.99; shirt, £29.99; trousers, £34.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 

Print-sleeve bomber jacket, £79.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011

 Palm tree-print top, £49.99; leather trousers, £179.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Leather jacket, £199.99; shirt and shorts, £29.99; shoes, £39.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Models Daphne Groeneveld and Lindsey Wixson.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011

 Leather studded mini dress, £179.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

 Shirt, £29.99; jeans, £39.99; boots, £39.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

Silk bustier, £69.99; trousers, £39.99, sandals, £69.99.
Available in stores from 17th November 2011.

Read more »

Our top 10 picks from the Versace for H&M collection

 

We give you the insiders tips on what to make a dash for when the Versace for H&M collection lands in stores on November 17th.

 

 Throw this pendant on with a little black dress and it will instantly update your outfit.
Necklace, £14.99, available from 17th November.

 We love the fringing on this fun top and skirt set and can only imagine how fab it would look on the dance floor.
Top and skirt set, £99.99, available from 17th November.

 

Even though this is from the menswear range, we are coveting this classic printed bomber jacket. The velvet torso is in keeping with one of autumn/winter's hottest trends.
Jacket, £79.99, available from 17th November. 

 A little bit of early 90's Versace style bling never hurt anyone!
Bracelet, £19.99, available from 17th November.

 Perhaps one of Versace's most iconic prints, the Grecian style zig-zag adorns the bottom of this embellished mini-skirt.
Skirt, £69.99, available from 17th November.

 Leopard print? Check. Gold crests? Check. Super sexy? Check. This skirt is everything that Versace should be.
Skirt, £39.99, available from 17th November.

 If you're not brave enough (or quick enough!) to go head-to-toe, the printed scarves will add a little spice to any outfit.
Scarf, £24.99, available from 17th November.

 Join J-Lo's club with this turquoise and green palm leaf print piece, inspired by the dress that the star wore to the Grammy Awards in 2000.
Sweater, £49.99, available from 17th November.

 If a Versace laden wardrobe is not enough for you, they have also collaborated with H&M to create homeware.
Cushion, £29.99, available from 17th November.

The perfect little black dress with cut-out details and detailing on the waist - very Versace!
Dress, £79.99, available from 17th November.

Read more »